Digital Twinning, Real-World Impact: The UK’s Path to Global Leadership
As the UK stands at the intersection of data, digital infrastructure, and innovation, techUK’s newly published Digital Twinning Green Paper offers a timely and critical framework for securing Britain’s position as a global leader in Digital Twinning.
A National Imperative
Digital Twins: dynamic, virtual models that mirror physical or non-physical entities are no longer theoretical. Already transforming energy, transport, health, and urban planning, their scalable potential lies in the ability to model complex systems, simulate change, and optimise outcomes in real time. However, fragmentation, inconsistent standards, and underinvestment risk leaving the UK behind more coordinated international competitors.
This Green Paper outlines the urgent need for a strategic, government-backed approach to federated Digital Twin systems. It positions data not just as an enabler, but as national infrastructure; integral to economic productivity, climate resilience, and societal wellbeing.
techUK proposes a “One Project → One Region → One Nation” model for coordinated rollout, leveraging public-private partnerships to unlock innovation at scale. It champions a federated architecture, ensuring interoperability, trust, and local control. A central National Digital Twinning Network (NDTN) is proposed, supported by regional leads, investment in domestic hardware and software, and a national UK Data Library as the foundation.
The paper also places AI and immersive technologies at the core of next-generation DT systems. With the convergence of AI, AR/VR, robotics, automation, and the metaverse, Digital Twinning will become self-learning, real-time decision-makers passive data into proactive intelligence. This is not only about efficiency, but about sovereignty: who controls the data, who sets the standards, and who reaps the rewards.
Use Cases Leading the Way
From the Ministry of Justice’s decarbonising facilities with AI-driven DTs, to Fujitsu’s micro-mobility modelling on the Isle of Wight, and the Teesside industrial Digital Twin powered by Unasys Navitas, the UK has proven its capability in pioneering pilots. But scaling these requires consistent investment, skills development, and policy alignment underpinned by long-term vision.
A Call to Action
The Green Paper doesn’t just diagnose the challenges it provides a bold, practical roadmap. With a proposed UK National Digital Wealth Fund, regional deployment leads, and an export-ready knowledge economy, the UK can seize a pivotal role in global Digital Twin governance.
As techUK stresses, the next two years are critical. Without coordinated action, we risk being data tenants in systems built and owned elsewhere.
Summary of Key Recommendations
Create a UK National Digital Wealth Fund to invest in sovereign data infrastructure and support homegrown DT innovators.
Establish a National Digital Twinning Network (NDTN) with a structured rollout strategy (“One Project → One Region → One Nation”).
Define a unified standards and governance framework, including a UK Data Library and open interoperability protocols.
Support federated, not centralised DT systems—ensuring trust, privacy, and secure data sharing.
Integrate Digital Twins into Net Zero, infrastructure, and health policies, recognising them as core to climate, productivity, and wellbeing goals.
Fund skills development across sectors, addressing the growing tech talent gap.
Appoint regional DT leads to coordinate implementation and ensure community-driven benefits.
Promote cross-sector collaboration and R&D, linking academia, government, and industry.
This strategy will allow the UK to lead in setting global DT standards, retain data sovereignty, enhance national productivity, and unlock a new wave of digitally enabled economic and societal benefits.
Digital Twins are the next great leap in data-driven transformation. With bold leadership, the UK can move from innovation to implementation—building a sovereign digital infrastructure that delivers trust, efficiency, and global leadership. This Green Paper sets the path—we now need the momentum to walk it.
Matt Evans
COO, techUK
This Green Paper will spark debate, but by doing so will bring the importance of DT's to the fore, identify the huge benefits they offer and how the UK can focus to a leader in the field of Digital Twins.
Mark Barlow
Head of Property Governance, WHP Telecoms
The promise of connected digital twins of everything and everyone continues to be just around the corner…this study explores why that is - and why business cases for investment in real-world systems are not leading to investment in their digital twins.'
Dr Jason Shepherd
Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer, Fujitsu
“This Green paper sets out the agenda for the future of Digital Twinning. It asks the questions that need to be answered for the UK to become a global leader in Digital Twinning governance and technology”.
Dr Greg Watts, FHEA, EngD, MRICS
DSBNE Lead for Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of Salford
Digital twinning must evolve from buzzword to backbone — a suite of technologies that act as catalysts for transformation in a complex world. The TechUK Green Paper is an invitation: to shape the evolution, to join a shared journey, and to build a future where digital twinning empowers people, places, and possibility.
Ali Nicholl
Vice Chair, techUK's Digital Twins Steering Board
Smart Infrastructure and Systems Programme activities
techUK champion the role of technology in driving positive outcomes in our built infrastructure; from hitting net zero goals to improving safety. In doing so, we also optimise the commercial and regulatory landscape to ensure innovation in infrastructure can flourish. Visit the programme page here
Digital Twinning of Everything and Everyone
Read our latest Green Paper exploring the future of Digital Twinning in the UK.
Call for Submissions: techUK Automated Mobility Campaign Week 2025
techUK is excited to announce its upcoming Automated Mobility Campaign Week, a key opportunity to explore and highlight the transformative potential of autonomous vehicle technology in the UK. This campaign will run as part of techUK's wider campaign programme, offering techUK members the chance to share their insights and expertise on the future of Connected and Automated Mobility. Submission Deadline: Friday 31 January 2025.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Teodora’s rich background varies from working in business development for a renewable energy lobbying association in Brussels to the fast moving technology innovation startup scene in the UK.
She has designed the market strategy for a German renewable energy engineering scale up for the UK, listed on Nasdaq private market, and now one of the fastest growing scale ups in the world. Previous experience also includes managing a renewable energy startup in London, which has built a small-scale biomass CHP power plant. Teodora is passionate about cross-industry collaboration and working together with academia to inform the design of future educational models and skill building.
Most recently Teodora has ran the commercial activities and business development at Future Cities Catapult, focusing on innovation in cities, digital health and wellbeing, mobility, and infrastructure. Teodora is a passionate STEM Ambassador and a vocal advocate for women in tech.
Programme Assistant, Data Centres, Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Market Access, techUK
Lucas Banach
Programme Assistant, Data Centres, Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Market Access, techUK
Lucas Banach is Programme Assistant at techUK, he works on a range of programmes including Data Centres; Climate, Environment & Sustainability; Market Access and Smart Infrastructure and Systems.
Before that Lucas who joined in 2008, held various roles in our organisation, which included his role as Office Executive, Groups and Concept Viability Administrator, and most recently he worked as Programme Executive for Public Sector. He has a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski Cracow University.
